The Underground Guide to Living Frugal started as a pamphlet in the late 1990s. It expanded rapidly over the years into a fully updated and downloadable ebook. This book is a good introduction to the area of living in a frugal way, covering basics for frugal beginners and also offering more thoughtful meat for experienced frugalistas.

I appreciated the section on the small must-have household items for the frugal minded, which includes such necessities as vinegar, table salt, baking soda, ammonia, lemon juice, olive oil, borax and beeswax. I also enjoyed the ideas for living without a refrigerator.

This book doesn't go into great depth on any particular area, preferring instead to be an easy read with many hyperlinked sources for more detailed information. It held my attention pleasantly as I whipped through it in one evening. I read it a second time to catch and investigate all the sources I ignored the first time through.

A few appendices round out the information given, including a handy chart that helps you use old calendars and electronics from before the year 2000. There is also an expanded section about The Gopher Manifesto. I have to admit that even after reading the Gopher notes, I am still confused. Apparently Gopher is a form of internet open source operating system. Viva la Gopher?

The Upshot

This is a 99 cent frugal living ebook that is worth several times its cover price. It's a Kindle download you can free from your laptop, desktop computer, smartphone or Kindle reader. A light resource but worthwhile.